Recently I was invited together with Dax of Relax with Dax, to fly up to the Tintswalo Safari Lodge in the Manyeleti Reserve concession. The purpose of our trip was to join Fritz Breytenbach and his team as they reached their 1000km target for TREC1000. A fundraising campaign to create awareness of the plight of the Rhino.

We flew from Cape Town to Johannesburg, where we joined beautiful Edita for a shared charter flight to the Tintswalo Airstrip with Odie Air.

I do enjoy the view from a light aircraft, especially towards the bushveld. Which is what we had as our 50 minute flight came to an end and we neared our destination. Always fun to do a fly by over the landing strip, just in case game is lurking, before making the landing.

As we touched down we saw a group of people there to meet us. Among them Fritz himself, with world renowned Photographer and Film Maker Steven Lyon and his crew who were documenting the walk. They captured Edita’s disembarkment as part of the ‘women behind the men’ segment, whilst Dax and I were warmly welcomed.

Receiving the best kind of bush welcome, our Tintswalo guide had a bottle of bubbly to pop – we were here!

Conversation with Fritz was instant, his energy captivating as he launched into the details of the walk, the final stage that was nearing, how far they had come, how necessary it was for the Rhino. The future plans for TREC1000.

They were making a difference and I was humbled by their work, very aware of how privileged I was to be there to share in this special moment and learn from him.

The Incidental Tourist is a Personal Travel Blog of a conscious traveller with a deep love for Africa, its people and the environment.

Here I bring you narratives, stories, video and photographs from my travels around the globe, including accounts of gorilla trekking in Uganda, tree planting in Zambia and turtle rescue in Kenya, accommodation and restaurant reviews, as well as details of the conservation efforts that I support.

A self proclaimed earth advocate and beauty seeker, I invite you to join me and share in my love of sustainable travel – and the rich offerings of our beautiful world.